News from Monroehttps://www.ctpost.com/monroe/collectionRss/News-Monroe-Heds-1810.php
https://www.ctpost.com/news/coronavirus/article/Monroe-July-tax-deadline-shift-in-works-due-to-15193350.php
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Residents will have more time to pay taxes due July 1 but the final details remain unclear since town officials have two collection options now allowed by the governor’s office. ]]>
Fri, 10 Apr 2020 22:00:00 UThttps://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Bobcat-accused-of-eating-ducks-chicken-in-Monroe-15110374.php
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Monroe animal control is reporting at least two bobcat sightings within the past week, including one in which some chicken and ducks were eaten. ]]>
Fri, 6 Mar 2020 13:30:00 UThttps://www.ctpost.com/policereports/article/2-seriously-injured-in-Monroe-crash-14560941.php
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Monroe police say the victims of a serious crash involving a Jeep and a motorcycle Thursday night are listed in stable condition Friday. ]]>
Fri, 25 Oct 2019 09:00:00 UThttps://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Monroe-library-hosts-mini-golf-fundraiser-14556181.php
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A miniature golf course will be set up at the Edith Wheeler Memorial Libary, 733 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe as part of a Nov. 3 fundraiser organized by the Friends of the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library. ]]>
Wed, 23 Oct 2019 15:30:00 UThttps://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Driver-escapes-serious-injury-in-Monroe-rollover-14441455.php
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The car was found off the roadway, just past the middle and elementary schools. ]]>
Sun, 15 Sep 2019 17:50:00 UThttps://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Trafficking-ring-using-Sikorsky-Airport-leads-to-14433836.php
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NEW HAVEN-A Valley man caught in a two-ton marijuana trafficking ring which flew a plane out of Sikorsky Airport will be spending nearly five years in federal prison.

Senior U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton sentenced Terrell Givens, 34, of Beacon Falls to 55 months in prison followed by three years of supervision by the U.S. Probation Department. He remains free on $300,000 until Oct. 23 when Arterton ordered him to report to his yet-to-be designated federal prison.

In addition to the prison time, Gives is required to forfeit his 2009 Jaguar XF and about $8,000 in jewelry which investigators tied to profits from the operation.

Givens pleaded guilty May 3 to conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than a ton of marijuana and a charge of conspiring to launder money. He was arrested on June 12, 2018. .

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Kale and Marc Silverman advised the judge that in 2016 the Federal Aviation Administration began investigating the owner of a single-engine Piper airplane.after noticing it was making numerous flights between Stratford and north California, often traveling through the Southwest. The plane was owned by Donald Burns of Milford.

The investigation determined that on June 28, 2017, Burns flew the aircraft from northern California to Lubbock, Texas. The next day he flew the aircraft from Texas to Arkansas, and then to West Virginia and Connecticut, where he landed in the evening at Sikorsky Airport. After it landed, a law enforcement search of the plane uncovered approximately 400 pounds of marijuana in vacuum-sealed packages leading to Burns’ arrest.

Investigators determined that the marijuana was intended for Robert...

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Thu, 12 Sep 2019 12:35:00 UThttps://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Monroe-man-latest-Bridgeport-homicide-victim-14407514.php
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BRIDGEPORT — A 41-year-old Monroe man was shot to death during an argument outside a variety store on Shelton Street near Noble Avenue on Sunday.

Jose Perez-Ortiz, of Maplewood Drive, Monroe, was pronounced dead at Bridgeport Hospital as a result of the 6:16 p.m. shooting.

Police uncovered video surveillance that recorded the incident. They believe it shows Perez-Ortiz attempting to stab a man. The man then drew a gun and fired, striking the victim, police said.

The shooter left the scene in a light colored vehicle, which also was recorded on video.

No further information was available. A fundraiser for Perez-Ortiz’s family was posted on GoFundMe, but was later taken down.

Police have urged the shooter to come forward. If it appears to be a case of self-defense, there may or may not be charges lodged against the shooter.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story contained details of a GoFundMe fundraiser, which has since been discontinued.

“We are following leads and trying to track down the shooter,” said Police Capt. Brian Fitzgerald.

A man identified by police as Jose Perez-Ortiz, 41, of Maplewood Drive, Monroe, was shot outside a variety store on Shelton Street. Court documents in his assault case identify him as Jose Perez.

Police said Perez-Ortiz was shot following a dispute outside the store in which he is shown on video apparently attempting to stab another man.

Perez-Ortiz, a truck driver, had been free on $25,000 bond on charges he sexually assaulted his children’s’ teenaged babysitter. He was charged in December 2017 with third-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault and public indecency.

He was scheduled to be in court on Sept. 12 when he was going to decide whether to accept a plea deal, according to court documents. His lawyer did not return calls for comment.

Police said a 17-year-old girl was admitted to Bridgeport Hospital after drinking bleach. While being interviewed at the hospital, police said, the girl complained that she had been sexually assaulted by a man she identified as Perez and said she had tried to commit suicide because of her fear of him.

Police said the teen later told them Perez had been driving her home after she had been babysitting his children when he pulled into a dark parking lot and raped her in his car.

The girl said Perez then drove her home. Police said Perez later called the girl four times to ensure she would not tell anyone what happened.

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Tue, 3 Sep 2019 04:00:00 UThttps://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Flash-fire-investigated-in-Monroe-14405739.php
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MONROE — Firefighters investigated over the weekend after a homeowner heard what he or she thought was an explosion.

The resident heard the explosion overnight and called the fire department Saturday morning after finding a contractor’s equipment pile had burned, according to the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department’s Facebook page.

A painter’s equipment likely naturally combusted and caused a flash fire that burned materials and shrubbery, the department said.

Firefighters soaked the smoldering area, according to the Facebook post.

The fire marshal and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection are investigating.

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Sun, 1 Sep 2019 15:00:00 UThttps://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Ansonia-woman-charged-after-car-strikes-Milford-14359237.php
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MILFORD-An Ansonia woman faces several charges including driving under the influence after her car struck an apartment building at the entrance to Cherry Street early Saturday morning.

Residents of the building had to be evacuated shortly after 2 a.m. after the fire department the city’s building inspector deemed it unsafe.

Police said Marie Verrilli, 29, of Tremont Street, Ansonia, struck the building after her car jumped a curb while entering the intersection. A breath sample was taken by police who determined she had an elevated blood alcohol content.

She was also charged with driving while her license was suspended, reckless driving and failure to drive right.

Bond was set at $500 pending a Sept. 12 appearance in Milford Superior Court.

Verrilli was one of four people arrested by Milford police for driving under the influence over the weekend.

Lynne Searle, 60, of Atwater Street, was charged with driving under the influence and possession of cocaine following a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Atwater and Melba Streets. Police said Searle refused to undergo a breath test.

Bond was set at $500 pending a Sept. 12 appearance in Milford Superior Court.

Eighteen minutes later police stopped Alvin Ortiz, 29, of Cold Spring Circle, Shelton after observing his vehicle operating erractically on High Street near West Main Street.

During the investigation police found Ortiz in possession of a narcotic prescription that did not belong to him. Police said he declined to give a urine sample.

At 3:30 a.m. Sunday police found William Edwards, 30, of Gulf Street, asleep at his steering wheel on Buckingham Avenue near Merwin Avenue.